Log stopping and holding mechanism for sawmills.



W. A. WILKINSON. I LOG STOPPING AND HOLDING MECHANISM FOR SAWMILLS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1909.

93,21 "7. I Patented Aug. '24. 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1a W. A. WILKINSON. LOG STOPPING AND HOLDING MECHANISM FOR SAWMILLS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1909.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. A. WILKINSON. LOG STOPPING AND HOLDING MECHANISM FOR SAWMILLS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1909,

932,2 1 7. Patented Aug. 24. 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. A. WILKINSON.

LOG STOPPING AND HOLDING'MEOHANISM FOR SAWMILLS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2s,- 1909.

9 3 2, 2 1 7 Patented Aug". 24, 1909.

' 2 SHEETS SHEBT 4.

Q Q Q R A1 Q fg V 2 5 L2 o N as m? ww W565; ji /571% UNITED TAT 1 WILLIAM A. WILKINSONQOF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filedijebruary 23, i909. Serial No. 479,557.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. WILKIN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of I-Iennepin and State of Minnesota, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Log Stopping and Holding Mechanisms for Sawmills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enable 0t iers skilled in the art to which it appertains to'make and use the same. v I

My invention has for its object to improve the construction of that type of saw mill machinery used for cutting logs into different lengths or into different numbers of sections, and is directed particularly to the provision of improved means for stopping and holding the log while it is being sawed off.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of-devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In machines of the class above indicated, the logs are fed to the saw over a sluice or channel shaped skid by an endless feed chain, and hitherto, it has been necessary to stop the feed chain as well as the log while the log is being sawed. The momentum of the feed chain and the heavy mechanism employed to drive the same is very considerable, and hence, it has been diflicult to stop the log, with any degree of accuracy, at the point where it is desired to saw the log, and furthermore, there has been a loss of time in bringing the log, the feed chain and the chain driving mechanism to a standstill. Furthermore, the waste of lumber due to inaccurate sawing of the logs, is a very serious matter.

My invention provides means whereby the feed chain is permitted to continuously run, and the log isforced from the chain and held in a position in which it may be sawed without causing the saw to engage the chain. This radical departure in the manner of handling logs enables the log to be very quickly and accurately brought to a standstill and held for sawing. When the'loghas been sawed in two at its intermediate portion, or when an end has been sawedtherefrom, it maybe dropped back onto the feed chain and fed onward thereby without at any time interrupting the movement of the feed chain.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indieate like parts throughout the several views. Referring to the-drawings: Figure-1 is a transverse vertical sectio'nkwith some parts shown in diagram =only,.- and with some parts broken away, illustrating my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in section, showing on alarger-scale than in Fig. 1, certainof the parts shown in the said-latter view; F g.- 3 is a planview with parts broken away and parts removed, illustratinga slightly modi fied'con'struction; andFig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line'ac a of The numeral 1 indicates a skeleton timber frame workwhich' supports the log guiding sluice'or skid 2 and inclined decks The numeral 4 indicates portionsof the. endless feed champ-which as shown, is arranged to run overv a metalguide channel 5 secured in the bottom of the sluice 2. The feed chain may-beef any suitable construction, and any suitable chain driving mechanism which Will im art continuous movement to the chain may e employed.

A'saw 6, as is customary, is mounted upon a pivoted swinging beam 7, and is drivenin the customary way by a belt and pulley driving mechanism indicated as an entirety by the numeral 8. Also, as is customary, the saw is moved to and from-its operative positionby a small cylinder and piston engine 9, the stem 10 of which is connected to the saw supporting beam 7. v

In Figs; 1, 2 and 4, logs are indicated by the numeral 11, and in Fig. 2,1ogs of different diameter are indicated by'full and dotted lines. I Y

In applying my invention, I provide at one side of the sluice '2, a-multiplicity of log engaging abutments or stops and on the other side of saidsluice, provide a multiplicity of so called logengaging push bars, and by means of the latter,--the log may be pushed or rolled onto one side of the sluice against the said abutments and there held in position for sawing entirely out of reach of the feed chain 4.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2','e'nd and intermediate abutments are afforded byheavy, short posts 12, rigidlysecured to the frame Work 1, and provided on their'i'nner sides with metal facing strips 13 having log engaging teeth or barbs 1.4- for engagement With logs of different diameter, as best indicated in Fig. 2."

atented Aug. 24,

teeth 17.

In the construction illustrated in Figs?) and 4, the end abutments are thesame as in Figs. 1 and 2, but the intermediate abutment is in the form of a metal late 15 p voted at 16 and provided with og engaglng This movable abutment 15 1s preferably arranged to be operated, at will,

y a small cylinder and piston engine 18, the long stem 19 of which is connected thereto. This movable abutment is adapted to be moved toward and from the log and is therefore especially well adapted for action on a crooked log, which would not aline with three fixed stops. Also in Fig. 3, an additional fixed intermediate stop or abutment 20 is indicated, and the saw 6 is arranged to cut the log at a point between this post and the movable abutment 15.

In all the drawings, the so called push bars 21 of which, as shown, there are three, are connected to arms 22 of a rock shaft 23 mounted in suitable fixed bearings on one side of the frame work 1. The upper ends of the push bars 21 are preferably formed with teeth 24, and they are held in alinement with the end and intermediate abutments and are supported by suitable guides formed in the adjacent side of the log guiding sluice 2. The push bars 21 are operated, at will, by a cylinder and piston engine 25, the stem 26 of which, as shown, is connected to a suitably guided cross head 27 (see Fig. 4), which in turn, is connected by a rod 28 to an arm 29 of the rock shaft 23.

When a log is to be stop ed and held for sawing, the push bars 21, y means of the engine 25, are thrust endwise against the log and are caused to force the log upward on one side of the sluice-2 out of reach of the chain 4, and against the 006 erating end abutments and fixed ormovab e intermediate abutment, as the case may be, and the log thus handled, will be quickly brought to a standstill and will be firmly held by the cooperating abutments and push bars. The teeth on the abutments and the push bars very greatly assist in bringing the logto a quick standstill and firmly holding the same, and as best shown in Fig. 2, these teeth are so arranged that they will engage properly, with logs that vary a great deal 1n diameter. WVhen the movable intermediate abutment is employed, it will usually be forced against thelog after the log has been forced against the fixed end abutments, but ibefore the saw is moved into action on the In some instances, it may be necessary or desirable to make provision for stopping the log feeding chain or other log feeding means, to prevent logs that are fed close together, from bumping into a log while it is being held and sawed. Even in this arrangement, however, the log will be forced from the feeding means and will be stopped independently of the stop ing of the feeding chain, and the latter will be brought to a standstill at any desired time subsequent to the removal of the log to be sawed therefrom.

What I claim is: u

1. In a machine of the kind described, the combinationwitha saw and means for feeding the logs past said saw in a direction transversely thereof, means for forcing the logs laterally out of reach of said feeding means and for holding the same in a fixed position while being sawed.

2. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a saw and means for-feeding the logs past said saw, transversely thereof, of log holding abutments on one side of said feeding means, and means for forcing the log laterally out of reach of said feeding means against said abutments and cooperating with said abutments to hold the log in a fixed position while being sawed.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a saw and means for feeding the logs past the saw, of abutments at one side of said feeding means, and push bars at the other side of said feeding means, operative to force the log laterally out of the reach of said feeding means, against said abutments, and cooperating with said abutments to hold the logs in a fixed position while they are being sawed.

4. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a saw, a log guiding sluice and a log feeding chain, of fixed abutments at the saw side of said sluice, push bars mounted for endwise movements at the other side of said sluice, and power actuated means for simultaneously moving said push bars against the log, said push bars serving to force the log laterally out of,

reach of said feed chain, against said abutments, and cooperating with said abutments to hold said log in a fixed position While it is being sawed.

5. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a saw, a log guiding sluice and a log feeding chain,'of toothed abutments at one side of said sluice, toothed push bars mounted for endwise movements at the other side of said sluice, a rock shaft having arms connected to said push bars, and a cylinder and piston engine with connections to said rock shaft for moving said push bars simultaneously against the log, thereby causing said push bars to move the log laterally out of reach of said feed chain, and into position for cooperation with said toothed abutments for holding the log in a fixed position while it is being sawed.

6. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a saw, a log guiding sluice and a log feeding chain, of fixed and movable abutments at one side of said sluice, push bars mounted for endwise movements at the other side of said sluice, and power actuated means for simultaneously moving said push bars against the log, said push bars serving to force the log laterally out of reach of said feed chain, and cooperating with said abutments to hold the log in a fixed position while it is being sawed.

7. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a saw and means for feeding the logs past said saw, of an engine actuated movable abutment at one side of said log feeding means,.and an engine actuated push bar at the other side of said log feeding means operative to move the log laterally against said abutment, and cooperating therewith to hold the log in a fixed position 15 WILLIAM A. WILKINSON.

Witnesses:

HARRY D. KILGORE, F. D. MERCHANT. 

